Mould · Food industry

Remove mould from your food plant — thermally, without chemicals

At 16 bar, steam leaves the nozzle at approx. 205 °C and destroys mould, spores and bacteria within seconds — in the damp areas where chemicals only postpone the problem, with no residue on food surfaces.

Fortador Pro Max 16 Bar Fortador Pro Max 16 Bar
99.99%
microbial reduction
≈205 °C
superheated steam at 16 bar
0
chemical residue
no
stagnant water left

You clean the mould with biocides, but it returns to the same damp corners within a few weeks — because the moisture and spores remain.

In food plants, mould is not a matter of appearance but of compliance. It appears in damp areas — cold rooms, washing zones, floor joints, ceilings in cooking areas — and it returns exactly where it was cleaned with biocides, because the chemical method treats the surface, not the environment.

Dry steam changes the logic: instead of adding a chemical, it adds heat. It thermally destroys spores and hyphae, and the minimal amount of water means the surface dries almost immediately — without the residual moisture mould needs to regrow.

How much heat actually reaches the mouldy corner

Steam temperature is not something you pick from a catalogue: it follows from pressure, and the relationship is fixed and read off the Mollier diagram. At 4 bar steam is 152 °C, at 10 bar 185 °C, at 16 bar approx. 205 °C. A 4-bar machine cannot put out 200 °C, whatever the datasheet promises — which is why a temperature quoted without the corresponding pressure tells you nothing.

Above 185 °C steam becomes superheated, with humidity under 5%. That is exactly where the advantage against mould lies: plenty of heat, almost no water. Pressure and temperature are at their maximum at the nozzle outlet and fall away with distance — but at 10 cm from the surface steam still carries at least 100 °C, enough to inactivate the spores. At 30–40 cm it is already harmless even to the operator’s hand, which makes the method safe in the tight spaces where mould appears.

Below you can see the mechanism, the parameters your hygiene officer can verify, the recommended equipment and what it means for costs and risk.

Consequences

What you risk if the mould returns

  • ! Non-compliance at the food-safety audit
  • ! Product contamination and recall of a batch
  • ! Odours and degradation of storage areas
  • ! Recurring cost of biocides that don't fix the cause
  • ! Repeated shutdowns of the affected area

The solution

How dry steam eliminates mould — at the root

Mould needs moisture. Superheated steam delivers heat (approx. 205 °C at the nozzle) with very little water: it thermally destroys spores and hyphae, and the surface dries almost immediately — the exact opposite of the environment in which mould regrows.

Parameter Value Role
Pressure 16 bar Lifts the deposits and drives the steam into joints and seams
Temperature at the nozzle approx. 205 °C Follows directly from the pressure (Mollier diagram) — destroys spores and hyphae
Temperature at the surface over 100 °C at 10 cm The working distance at which mould is thermally inactivated
Steam humidity under 5% The surface dries quickly, with no residual moisture
Chemicals zero No biocides, no residue on food zones
  • Steam temperature follows directly from pressure, per the Mollier diagram: at 16 bar, steam leaves the nozzle at approx. 205 °C.
  • Above 185 °C and under 5% humidity, steam is superheated — it destroys mould, spores and bacteria within seconds of contact.
  • At 10 cm from the surface, steam still carries more than 100 °C — enough to inactivate the spores even in joints and corners.
  • Uses minimal water — leaves no stagnant moisture to feed recontamination.
  • No biocides, no chemical residue on food-contact surfaces.
  • Reaches joints, seams and hard-to-access corners where mould hides.

See it for yourself

Mould on the conveyor belt — removed without chemicals

Mucegai pe bandă transportoare? Soluția profesionistă cu abur uscat Commentary in Romanian.

Who it is for

The same problem, across several industries

Food processing Bakeries & pastry shops Dairy plants Slaughterhouses Cold storage

ROI and risk

Fix the cause, not just the symptom

  • Eliminate the recurring cost of biocides
  • Fewer repeated shutdowns of the contaminated area
  • Surfaces dry immediately — resume production quickly
  • Risk-free trial: AUTONOM rent-to-buy

Frequently asked questions

What we get asked most

Does dry steam kill mould or just clean it off the surface? +
It destroys it thermally. At 16 bar, steam leaves the nozzle at approx. 205 °C, and 10 cm from the surface it still carries more than 100 °C — the heat inactivates spores and hyphae, not just the visible stains. Because it leaves the surface dry, it also removes the damp environment in which mould would regrow.
Why does mould return after cleaning with chemicals? +
Because biocides treat the surface, but the moisture and spores in the joints remain. Dry steam adds heat and dries the area, attacking the cause, not just the symptom.
Can I use steam on food-contact surfaces? +
Yes. There is no chemical residue to rinse off, so it is suitable for food processing and storage areas.
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